Talking machine



May 2, 1933. E. KNIGHT ET AL TALKING MACHINE Filed June 20 1929 2Sheets-Sheet l y 2, 1933. E. KNIGHT Er AL 1,905,620

TALKING MACHINE Filed June 20. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'YNVENTOES' EdwardEnight, flarrgflrahibaid Tiwmpwtt, BY URZ AAAWM THE/E ATTOEWEK PatentedM... 2, 1933;

UNITED STATES PATENT E;

anwnm KNIGHT, or fiAnLme'roN, am HARRY aacnmann 'rnomrsa'r'r, or mnme,LONDON, ENGLAND, ielssmnons, BY-JIIESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 'ro mmroconrom'rron or AMERICA, or NEW YORK, N. Y., a coaroaanon or DELAWARETALKI NG MACHINE Application filed June 20, 1928, Serial No. 372,402,and in Great Britain July 12; 1828..

This invention relates to improvements in talkmg maclnnes and inparticular to means for holding. disc records in a desired position upona part of the machine such as the turncan be emp oyed. to'adVantage withother kinds of disc records.

The invention-consists in means for maintaining a disc record-in adesired position upon a part of the talking machine,-and is formed of ahollow body which'is adapted to contact with the surface of the discrecord to cover an area of-record surface concentric 'with the record sothat the space within the hollow body'is closed by the record, and apartial vacuum may be created within said space to maintain the recordin contact with supporting a bearing 2 for a turntable spinsaid hollowbody by suction.

Instead ofone hollow body, a number may be employed; these beingsituated so as to cover areas of therecord surface which are arrangedsymmetrically about the center ofthe record.

The walls of the hollow bodies mayrbe formed wholly or in part ofrubber, leather its original dimensions and thereby producea partialvacuum;

The invention is illustrated by Way of example in the accompanyingdrawings as applied to a talking machine adapted to play records fedfrom a magazine to the turntherewith for holding a record in position ontable by means, of a swinging record conveyor arm.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a machine embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an elevational yiew, also diagrammatic. I

Figs. 3 and 4 are details,

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation and on a larger e scale of the turntableand parts associated theturntable, v

Fig. 6 is a plan view of conveyor arm actuating mechanism and suctioncontrolling mechanism, said mechanism being shown in one position, andFi 7 isfa view similar to Fig. 6, but showing t e parts in anotherposition.

All parts of the machine not essential to" the understanding of thepresent invention have been omitted. p

Referring to the drawings 1 is a base plate dle 3 driven'by a moto M andcarrying a turntable 4 at its' upper end. Also on the base plate iscarried adixed platform 5 on which is supported a pile of records 6to-be played, the records being centered by means of a spindle 7 mountedfor vertical movement through the baseplate 1 and platform 5. A sleeve8, als0 supported by the baseplate 1, serves as a bearing for apillar'9which, at its upper end, carries a horizontal record con- Veyor arm 10.4

The pillar 9 is in the form of a tube plugged at each end and is capableof being raised and lowered and rotated in the bearing sleeve 8 by knownmechanism (not'shown) driven at intervals by the machine motor, to raiseand lower. the arm 10 and to swing it horizontally between the positionshown in the drawingsover the magazine 5 and a position over theturntable, and these movements of the arm 10 are utilized, intransferring records singly from the top of the pile 6 in the 90magazine to the playing position on the turntable 4.

In accordance with the present invention, suction operated means areprovided on the arm 10 to lift the top record from the pile. For thispurpose, there is provided on the free end of the arm 10 a downwardlyextending pin 11 (Fig. 2) of a size such as to engage in the centralaperture in the record to be transferred, and this pin enters thecentral aperture of the uppermost record of the pile as the arm 10 islowered over the magazine, the centering pin 7 sliding downwardly. At apoint above thelower end of pin 11 is rigidly mounted a member 12 havinga plane lower surface to which is secured a circular member ,13 ofchannel section (Figs. 2 and 3) of which the channel is directeddownwardly. The circular member 13 is formed of rubber, leather or otherresilient material, or the side walls only may be of resilient materialand it may be secured to the member 12 by any convenient means, as byrivets 14. s

Within the member 12 is formed a passage 15 which communicates, on theone hand, with the interior of the channel in member 13 through asuitable aperture 16 and, on the otherv hand, with an axial passage 17in pin 11, which passage, in turn, is connected through a union 18 witha tube 19. This tube 19 communicates by way of the interior of pillar 9and a flexible tube 20 with an air exhaustin device 21 of any knownkind.

When t earm is lowered over the magazine and the end of in-11 is engagedin the central aperture of t 1e top record of the pile in the magazineas described-above, the circular channel shaped member 13 rests with theedges of the walls of the channel in contact with the record surface,the member 13 covering an annular portion of the record surface lyingconcentric with the record.

When the uppermost record is to be placed in position on the turntable,a cock 22 on the exhausting device 21 is opened either by hand orautomatically, as by a cam 23 driven from the machine motor. We haveillustrated this asbeing done automatically by meansof a gear train '40,41, 42, the gear 40 being mounted periodically brought into operation,at the proper point inthe automatic cycle, as by means of the clutchmechanism illustrated in Fig. 1' and described in lines 79 et seq.,page, 1' of the patent to Thompsett,

42 is fixed to a shaft/43 onwhich are also mounted the cams 23 and 44.

#1,855,563, issued April 26, 1932. The gear The cam 23 acts upon apairof rolls 45, 46

to successively move the push rod 24 in one of two directlons to operatethe cock 22, the rod 24 bein shown in'Fig. 6 as having just been move tothe position where it has opgned the valve 47 and closed the ,valve 48,

on the shaft of the spindle 3 and'being so that the exhausting device 21can extract air from the conduits 16, 15, 17 19, 9 and 20 and so thatthe topmost record of the record pile is held against the member 13 bysuction.

The arm 10 is now lifted by lifting pillar 9 in known manner, and isthen swung horizontally to a position wherein pin 11 is vertically overthe turntable spindle 3. This is accomplished by means of the cam 44which acts upon a roller 49 on a push rod 51, the push rod 51 beingmoved in a direction such that it actuates a crank arm 52, which isfixed to the arm 10, in a counter-clockwise direction. In Fig. 7, theparts are illustrated in the position they assume when the transfer armis over the turntable with the pin 11 vertically in alignment with thespindle 3. Thereafter pillar 9 and arm 10 are'lowered to deposit therecord upon the turntable 4.

The engagement of member 13 concentrically with the record to be liftedfrom the pile and deposited on the turntable ensures that the recordremains horizontal and stationary with regard to arm '10 throughout themovement of said arm 10. A satisfactory positioning of the record withits central ing provided, a plurality of such members may be employed asindicated in Figs. 1 and 4, where four members 13 are provided, thesemembers being symmetrically. arranged around the pin 11 on the arm 10 sothat they engage a record over areas which lie sym-' metrically aroundthe center of the latter in order to overcome any tendency on the partof the record to tip or slip during movement of arm 10. i

The members 13 are each in communication with the exhaust conduit in pin11 by way of passages 38.

When the arm 10 has been lowered over the turntable, the cam 23 operatesupon push rod 24 to turn cock 22 to disconnect the interior of member ormembers 13 from the exhausting device 21, whereupon the record isreleased torest upon the turntable 4 in a position ready for engagementby the stylus of the reproducer 25 and playing. The previously describedmovements of the arm 10 are now reversed and the arm 10 returns to aposition over the magazine in readiness for member 26 surrounding theusual boss 27 and the spindle 3, a clearance being provided between theed e of the aperture 29 in the bottom of member '26 and the/spindle 3.In the'turntable itself are formed a number of apertures 28 inositions'within a limited area concentric w1th the turntable and wherethey communicate with the interior of the i member 26.

The bearingfor the spindle 3 in the base plate 1 c'omprlses a ring 2seated in an aperture in the base plate and having an enlarged upwardextension in the form of a cup 30.

A packing ring- 31 and gland-32 are pro-. vided in the ring 2 to furnishan airtight bearing between said ring and-the spindle 3, and packingrings 33 and a gland 34 are provided in the cup to form an airtightjoint by engagement of the rings 33 f with the external surface of.member 26 which rotates with the turntable 4. f

An aperture is formed in the wall of cup 30 in which fits a union 35 sothat the interior of the member 26 may be connected through a tube 36with the exhausting device 21.

Thus, when a record has been placed on the turntable, air may bewithdrawnfrom the space in member 26 and the record is held in closecontact with the surface of the turntable by the suction. J

If desired, a thin rubber pad 37 or a flat ring may be carried on theturntable 4 beneath the record to obviate or lessen the leakage of airbetween the record and the turntable.

In the arrangement illustrated the cock 22 on the exhausting device is atwo way cock so that when the cam 23 and rod 24 operate to cut oil thesuction from conveyor arm 10 after the latter has been lowered over theturntable 4 as previously described, the

exhausting device is placed in communication through cock 22 with theinterior of space 26.

Although we have shown a'nd'described certain specific embodiments ofour. invention, we are fully aware that many modifications thereof arepossible. Our invention, therefore, is not to be restricted exceptinsofar as is necessitated by the rior art and by the spirit of theappended c aims.

We claim:

1. In a talking machine, .driving mechanism, means for maintaininga discrecord in a predetermined position comprisinga hollow body adapted tocontact withthelsurface of the disc record, suction means, and

means operated by said driving mechanism for automatically establishing.communication between said suction means and said hollow body. r

2. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means foranaintaining a discrecord in a predetermined position comprising a hollow body adapted tocontact with the'surface of a disc record over an area of recordsurface, concentr c with the record, suction means, and means operatedby said driving mechanism for automatically establishing communicationbetween sald suction means and said hollow body.

3. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means for maintaining a discrecord in a predetermined position comprising a hollow body adapted tocontact with the surface of the disc record, suction means, and meansincluding a cam operated by said driving mechanism forautomatically-establishing communication between said suction means andsaid hollow body.v

4. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means for maintaining a discrecord in a. predetermined position comprising a hollowbody adapted tocontact, with the surfaceof the disc record, suction means, a valveinterposed. between said suction means and said hollow body, and meansincludin a cam operated by said drlving mechanism or controlling saidvalve for'opening and closing communication between said suction meansand said hollow body.

5. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means forvmaintaining a discrecord in a predetermined position comprising -a hollow body adapted tocontact with the surface of the disc record over an area concentrio withthe record, suction means, a suction line including a passage connectingsaid suction means and said hollow body, a valve controlling said line,and means including a cam operated by said driving mechanism forcontrolling said valve.

6. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means for maintaining a'disc record in with the record, suction means, and means operated bysaiddriving mechanism for automatically establishingcommunicationbetween said suction means andvsaid hollow body.

8.- In a talking machine, driving mechamsm,'means for maintaining a discrecord in a predetermmed position comprising a hollow body movable intocontact with the sur-' face of a disc record, said hollow bodycomprising an annular member of channel section, suction means, andmeans operated by said driving mechanism for automatically contact withsaid record, said body having walls of yielding material.

10. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means for maintaining adisc record in a predetermined position comprising a hollow body movableinto coutact with the surface of a disc record, suction means, and meansincluding a cam operated by said driving mechanism for automaticallyestablishing communication between said suction means and said hollowbody. 7

11. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means for maintaining adisc record in a predetermined position comprising a hollow body movableto contact with the surface of a disc record, suction means, a valve forcontrolling communication between said suction means and hollow body,and means ineluding a cam operated by said driving mechanism foroperating said valve.

12. In a talking machine, dIlVll'lg mechanism, means for maintaining adisc record in a predetermined position comprising a hollow body adaptedto contact with the surface of a disc record, suction means, a valve forcontrolling communication between said suction means and said hollowbody, and means including a cam for operating said valve, said bodyhaving walls of yielding material.

13. In a talking machine, means for maintaining a disc record in apredetermined position comprising a vertically movable arm, and a hollowbody carried by said arm and movable therewith into contact with thesurface of a disc record, said hollow body having walls of yieldingmaterial.

14. In a talking machine, driving mechanism, means for maintaining adisc recordin a predetermined position comprising a vertically movablearm, a hollow body carried by said arm and movable therewith intocontact with the surface of a disc record, suction means incommunication with said hol-' said suction means and said hollow body,and

a cam for operating said valve means.

16. In a talking machine havmg a turn-.

table and driving mechanism, means for maintaining a disc recordinpositionon said turntable comprising a hollow substantially airtightbody beneath said turntable, said turntable havin openings thereincommunicating with the interior of said hollow body,

suction .means,' and means operated by said driving mechanism forautomatically establishmg commumcation between sald suctlon means and saidhollow body. 17. In a talking machine maintaining a disc record inposition on said turntable comprising a hollow substantially airtightbody beneath said turntable, said turntable having openings thereincommunicating with the mterior of said hollow body, suction means incommunication with said hollow. body, and means including a .camoperated by said driving mechanism for controlling communication betweensaid suction movable into contact with the surface of a disc record onsaid machine, a hollow turntable, suction means, and means forestablishing communication between said suction means and said hollowbody and hollow turntable respectively. s I

20. In a talking ma hine. having driving mechanism, the combin ion of ahollow body movableintocontact with'the surface of a "disc record-onsaid machine, a hollow turnta-ble,suct1on means, and a two-way valve forestablishing communication between said suction means andsaid hollowbody and hollow turntable respectively.

21. In a talking machine having driving mechanism, the combination of ahollow bodymovable into contact with the surface of a disc record onsaid machine, a hollow turntable, suction means in communicationv withboth said hollowbody and said hollow turntable, means for controllingcommunication between said suction means and said hollow body and hollowturntable respectively, and means operated by said driving mechanism foroperating said controlling means.

22. In a talking machine having driving mechanism; the combination of ahollow body having a turntable and driving mechanism, means for saidhollow body and hollowturntable re- 4 spectively, and a cam operated bysaid driving mechanism for operating said valve.

23. In a talking machine, the combination of a hollow body movable intocontact with ;the surface of a disc record on said machine,

a hollow turntable, suction means, and means forselectively'bringingsaid suction means into communication with either said hollow body orsaid hollow turntable.

24. In a talking machine, the combination of a hollow body movable intocontact with the surface of a disc record on the machine, a hollowturntable, suction means, and means for alternately bringing saidsuction means into communication with said hollow body and said .hollowturntable.

25. In a talking machine, the combination of a. pair of hollow bodiesatleast one of which is movable into contact with the sur face of a discrecord on said machine, suc-. tion means in communication with each ofsaid hollow bodies, means for c'ontrolling the communication betweensaid suction means and each of said hollow bodies, and means for cuttingoff the communication between said suction means and one of said hollowbodies while simultaneously establishing communication between saidsuction means and the other of said hollow bodies. 26. In a-talkingmachine, the combination i of a pair of hollow bodies at least one ofwhich is movable into contact with the surface of a disc'record on saidmach1ne,suc-

. tion means in communication with each of said hollow bodies, unitarymeans for controlling the communication between said suction means andeach of said hollow bodies, and means for cutting off the communicationbetween said suctionmeans and one of said hollow bodies whilesimultaneously estab- 'record over areas radiall spaced at substantiallyequal distances rom the center of said record, suction means, and meansoperated by said driving means for automatically establishingcommunication between said suction means and said hollow bodies.

29. In an automatic talkingnlachine, the combination of a movabletransfer arm, a

, hollow body carried by said arm and movabletherewith to contact'thesurface of the topmost record of a pile of records, suction means incommunication with said hollow body for causing said hollow body toretain a record in contact therewith, a turntable, and means for causingsaid arm to carry said contacted record to said turntable.

30. In an automatic talking machine, the combination of a movabletransfer arm, a hollow body carried by said arm and movable therewith tocontact the surface of the topmost record of a pile of records,suctionmeans in communication with. said hollow body for causing saidhollow body to retain a record in contact therewith, a turntable, meansfor causing said arm to carry said contacted record to' said turntable,and means for causing said hollow body to release said record when in aposition over the turntable.

31. In an automatic talking machine, the combination of a movabletransfer arm, a hollow body carried by said arm and movable therewith tocontact the surface of the topmost record of a pile of records, suctionmeans in communication with said hollow body for causing said hollowbody to retain a record in contact therewith, a turntable, means forcausing said arm to carry said contacted rec- I ord to said turntableand means for render-- mg said suction means mefl'ective when said 32.In an automatic talking machine having a turntable and drivingmechanism, the combination of a movablefitransfer arm, a hollow bodycarried by said arm and movlishing communication between said suction\able h rewi h o Contact the su a e of th operated by said driving meansfor automatically establishing communication between said suction meansand said hollow bodies.

- 28. In a *talking machine having a driving mechanism, means formaintaining a disc record in a predetermined position comprising aplurality of spaced, hollow bodies movtopmost record of a pile ofrecords, suction means in communication with said hollow body forcausing said hollow body to retain a record in contact therewith, meansfor causing said arm to carry said hollowbody and the contacted recordto aposition over said turntable, and means operated by said drivingmechanism for cutting ofi. communication between said suction means andsaid hollow body when in said position,whereby said record is depositedon said turntable.

33. In an automatic talking machinehaving a driving mechanism, aturntable, and a spindle associated with said turntable, the

combination of a movable transfer arm, a pin on sald arm movabletherewith to enter the 65 able into contact with the surface of a disccenter opening ofarecord, ahollow body carried by said-arm and movabletherewith to a contact the surface of the topmost record of a pile ofrecords when said pin is positioned in the center opening thereof,suction means in communication with said hollow body for causing saidhollow body to retain a record in Contact therewith, means for causingsaid arm to carry said hollow body and contacted v record to a positionover the turntable such that said pin is in alignment with said spindle,and means operated by said driving.

mechanism for cutting off communication between said-suction means andsaid hollow body when in said position, whereby said record is depositedon said turntable.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

EDWARD KNIGHT.

HARRY ARCHIBALD THOMPSETT.

